Living

I think everyone chooses, through their actions, what the primary focus of their life is. What do you most desire and seek, as you pass through your short time here on earth? Here is a continuum I’ve created to help you determine what it is you most value: Self-focused Power Authority, influence, praise, validation, status, […]

A friend of mine made this comment to me a few years ago, and I not only thought it was odd, but also sad. It seems to me that if you are expecting disappointing behavior from people, certainly someone in the course of your day will exhibit it, and then that will be how you […]

Guys talk a lot about girls, and aside from sex, the topic often runs to whether or not she’s crazy. Many of you have probably viewed a youtube video called “The Hot Crazy Matrix – A Man’s Guide to Women.” In it a nerdy engineer-type guy discusses differing combinations of “hot” and “crazy” in women, […]

Why does watching a dog be a dog fill one with so much happiness? Jonathan Foer Our breeder insists that Anderson is a purebred Bichon Frise, but I’m beginning to have doubts. In my last post about him acting like a teenager, I showed how big his paws are, and likened them to a polar […]

hero, def.: an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles or difficulty I’ve been fortunate to have met a lot of impressive people in my life. When I was in college and grad school, many of my professors were brilliant people. In business, I occasionally met what […]

I’ve had several instances in my life when I had to choose between doing something I wanted to do or what would help others. I have found that when I choose the more selfless route, God often rewards me in some way. He seems to be inclined to reward people for their good intentions and […]

The south side of Chicago was a really interesting place to grow up. I have a lot of great memories of the places, people, and events that make up my childhood. One of the hilarious things about Chicago is all of the slang people use. I’m sure other places around the country have their own […]

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, […]

I was watching the National Geographic Channel the other day and a show called The Last Days of Hitler came on. As is the case with many of these types of documentaries, it was fascinating. As they recounted the various battles that took place over the last year or so of WWII, I was struck […]

After Munson passed away and before we adopted Anderson, I read a couple of books on how to raise and train a puppy. The authors warned that most puppies go through a short period, usually between 6 and 9 months of age, when they act much like human teenagers. Your formerly compliant and affable puppy […]

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I received a lot of positive feedback on my recent post, “6 Key Pieces of Financial Advice for Your Young Adult Child,” so this article expands on that topic. One of my readers said it would be helpful if I would discuss what her adult daughter should focus on, financially, as she progresses through her […]

I have often talked about how Type A’s crave control and how their minds are always racing with ideas, analyzing, planning, etc. At no time is this more the case than when we take on a new project or position at work. When we take on a new assignment, this constant worry and mental consternation […]

In previous posts I have advocated investing in a home as a way to build wealth. Renting for long periods is generally a bad idea because you are not taking advantage of a U.S. tax code that incentivizes home ownership, and you are not building wealth in the form of home equity. Now I want […]